Heretofore there have been many different kinds of printing presses provided and the present invention particularly is described in relation to a two revolution hand feed sheet fed gravure press for multi-color printing from flat copper plates.
Printing presses very similar to that of the present invention were made in the early 1900's by Linotype & Machinery, Ltd., and such prior types of printing presses were fully mechanically controlled and operated. Frank Hyman may have had one or more patents on the press. These prior printing presses of the same type as those of the present invention involved relatively heavy moving parts, substantially all of the control functions thereof were driven or obtained from the operative drive of the machine and the press, as a whole, was difficult to operate and not convenient to use or to control. The inking roll in the prior presses was moved to inoperative position by two manually moved lever arms accessible only when a feed portion of the press was swung to inoperative position.
The general object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved printing press, and especially to provide a fluid actuated means for control of the position of the inking roll provided in the press.
Another object of the invention is to provide a pneumatically operated piston and cylinder for controlling the position of the inking roll in the press independent of the drive of the press, and to permit adjustment in the positioning of the inking roll and the stroke or length of movement of the same.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a special adjustment device in a positioning arm engaging one end of the inking roll to facilitate independent movement of one end of the printing roll to enable such roll to be positioned on an axis parallel to that of the printing cylinder.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide lightweight, improved, rapidly functioning, easily maintained means for positioning an inking roll in a printing press and to move the inking roll out of the inking tank or pan.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be made more apparent as the specification proceeds.